


Liability

by xanavici



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, touch starved Jesse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 05:11:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14012901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xanavici/pseuds/xanavici
Summary: Though the mission was successful, it hits Jesse harder than he thought.  Good thing Hanzo's there to help.





	Liability

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to the bae, McTiddiezo, for beta reading this.

With a weary sigh Jesse steps off the Orca.  It had been a long mission, successful but long and hard and it had taken its toll on him.  No one else seems to share his weariness, they all meet those waiting for them in the hanger with smiles and congratulatory pats on the back.  No, this specific melancholy is reserved for Jesse and Jesse only.

Jesse adjusts his hat to tip it low and cover his eyes and slips out of the hanger before anyone can pull him into their celebrations.  Right now, all he wants is to shower and fall into the bed that’s calling his name, even though he has a feeling that sleep won’t come easily tonight.  Whatever, it’s a small price to pay.

Like a shadow, he slips through the hallways, avoiding everyone, and into his room without a sound.  If he were in a better mood he would probably laugh about how everyone is still confused about how a man with spurs can sneak; it’s all about the weight distribution and the gait.

With aching muscles he slowly sheds his gear, leaving it in a pile in the corner of his room to deal with later.  He turns on the shower and climbs in a moment later, flinching when he walks straight into the cold stream because he didn’t wait long enough for it to warm up.  Washing down is methodical, almost mechanical, as his mind starts to space out again to the less pleasant parts of the mission.

Old habits keep him from spending too long under the spray of water and a couple minutes later he steps out, towels off, and pulls on some ratty sweatpants and an old t-shirt.  Just as he flops down onto his bed, ready to spend the next eight hours trying and failing to fall asleep, there’s a knock on his door. He ignores it at first. Who ever wants to talk to him can wait until tomorrow.  They knock again and this time Jesse hear’s Hanzo’s voice faintly through the door.

“McCree?”

Jesse hesitates for another second before getting up with a groan and opening the door.

Hanzo looks great.  Well, he always looks great but it specifically stands out to Jesse considering his current state.  He sees Hanzo’s eyes quickly scan him, questions evident especially since Jesse hasn’t greeted him with his usual smile and teasing nickname, but thankfully he doesn’t ask anything.

“Hey,” he says softly instead.

“Hey.”

There’s a beat of silence where Hanzo waits for Jesse to say more like he usually does and is confused when he doesn’t, though he quickly recovers.

“May I come in?”

Jesse doesn’t want to let him in, he wants to be left alone so he can stare at a wall and not think about anything.  But he also misses Hanzo. It’s been a long two weeks and while they texted regularly, it wasn’t the same as seeing him in person.  Jesse steps to the side quietly before he can change his mind and lets the door close behind Hanzo with a soft hiss.

The silence is deafening as they both stand there awkwardly, neither sure how they want to proceed from here.  The heavy stillness is finally broken when Hanzo steps into Jesse’s space to take his hand, threading their fingers together in a firm grip.  He rises up onto his toes and gives Jesse a soft kiss on the cheek and some of the tension in the room disappears as Jesse finally gives a tiny smile and his shoulders relax partially.

“I have missed you,” Hanzo murmurs.

“I missed ya too.” 

One month ago their friendship turned into something more.  Neither had meant for it to happen but apparently the alcohol from their weekly date nights (because in retrospect, that’s what they were) where they would go up to the roof and just talk and drink loosened their tongues just a little too well and emotions that were supposed to be kept locked away broke free.  

What resulted was a happy, but weird, month of navigating something that was new to both of them.  One night stands? Friends with benefits? Jesse is very familiar with those and knows how to work them.  But an actual relationship with mutual feelings that run deeper than superficial attraction? Neither of them know what they are doing which has resulted in them taking it slow and keeping it on the down low.

“I am sorry I was not there to greet you when you landed, Hana and I had to finish our online match first and put the players on the other team in their place.  But I heard the mission went well?” Hanzo asks as they move to sit on the bed.

“Umm, yea.  Secured the payload an’ kept Talon away from hurtin’ anyone.  Even Jack was pleased on the ride back.”

“I am glad,” Hanzo says, but then he takes a hard look at Jesse.  “And yet, there is something still bothering you.”

“What- no.  It’s just… It’s nothin’.”

“Jesse”  His tone is almost pleading and it takes Jesse by surprise.

He gets up and starts pacing around the room.  He doesn’t want to re-open that can of worms, but he knows that Hanzo will listen and support him.  With a long sigh, and a roll of his neck Jesse sits back down on the bed, facing Hanzo but looking down at the blankets.

“I… Some of those Talon fucks recognized me from Blackwatch.  Wilson, Nelson, and Paige. I knew ‘em back then and I thought they were good people but I guess they ain’t.  And seein’ them, it jus’... That could’a been me. I ran on the wrong side of the law once which means I could do it again.  An’ if Gabe had asked me to follow him, back when he was still Gabe, well… I would’ve followed that man into hell.”

“Do you want to join Talon?”

Jesse’s head snaps up with surprise to stare at Hanzo.  “What? No!”

“Then you have nothing to worry about.  You are a good man Jesse, a  _ truly good man _ .  I know that you would never willingly join them, the team knows that, because that is not who you are.  You have these fears because you doubt yourself, but I have never met a man with such strong convictions about what is right and how to uphold what is right.  You might occasionally stumble, but you always get back up to finish the job. That is what makes me so proud of you Jesse McCree.”

Jesse is silent as he takes in Hanzo’s declaration.  The remaining tension in his shoulders bleed out in small increments, then all at once as he slightly slumps over.  His hair falls forward and partially hides his face, but not the small smile that appears.

“Thanks darlin’.”  Jesse cradles Hanzo’s jaw in a warm hand and leans forward to give him the proper kiss that he deserves.  It’s soft and sweet. Just a gentle press of lips, then another, and another.

By the time Jesse pulls away, though he doesn’t go far, they’re both slightly dazed with bliss.  Jesse leans back in to rest their foreheads together and breath the same air. He feels much better than he did when he first got back, still wired from the mission but at least he doesn’t have a dark storm cloud hanging over him.

“It is pretty late, I should let you sleep.” Hanzo murmurs.  “My apologies for keeping you up, I just wanted to see you as soon as possible”

“Don’t gotta apologize for nothing.  Might not sleep anyways, still too restless to really wind down.”

Hanzo frowns and brushes a piece of hair out of Jesse’s face.  Jesse barely manages to restrain a shiver from the soft touch and turns his head to follow the hand.

“I would like to help you sleep.  Is that alright?”

“Yea,” Jesse says almost without thinking about what Hanzo said.  Anything to keep him here a little longer.

“Can I give you a back massage?  Stretching out and relaxing my muscles sometimes helps me when I am feeling restless.”

You mean have Hanzo Shimada lovingly touch every inch of your skin without reservation?  Only an idiot would say no and Jesse McCree is many things, but an idiot is not one of them.  He nods, not trusting his voice to say something stupid. Hanzo smiles then stands up, much to Jesse’s chagrin.

“I don’t suppose you have any massage oil?”

“What do you think?” Jesse says with a huff of laughter.

“I thought I should at least ask.  Do you have lotion at least?”

“Bathroom.  In the cabinet under the sink.”

Hanzo tells Jesse to get comfortable while he grabs the lotion.  Jesse pulls his shirt off, grabs a pillow to lay on and settles down in the center of his bed.  Hanzo comes out a few seconds later and takes a seat on the back of Jesse’s thighs. For a guy who is so defensive of his personal space, he wasted no time insinuating himself into Jesse’s once they started dating, not that Jesse will ever complain about that.

This time, Jesse is unable to restrain the full body shudder that travels through him when Hanzo touches his upper back.  Most of the time, he’s wearing his body armor so that area is protected by a thick plate of metal. When he isn’t wearing it, the touches he gets there are cold and clinical from doctors or quick, fleeting pats from friends.  Never before has he felt touches like this, so gentle, intimate, and caring.

His body, unused to this, tenses up at first, but as Hanzo moves his skilled hands up and down his back and gently forces the muscles into loosening up, he relaxes.  Before he knows it he’s melting into the blankets and reveling in the attention he’s getting.

Hanzo takes his time working the muscles, tracing the scars, and , in a move that surprises Jesse, tenderly placing kisses on whatever skin he can reach.  He asks Jesse again if this is okay and with a voice full of emotion Jesse chokes out another yes.

Against all expectations, Jesse starts dozing off.  The soft blankets below him and the solid presence above him create a strong feeling of security and lull him into relaxing, forcing the last traces of adrenaline out of his system and leaving him exhausted.  He’s startled awake by one final kiss to the base of his neck and Hanzo climbing off of him. With sleep-addled reflexes he reaches out and grabs Hanzo’s hand before he can get too far.

“Oh, I did not mean to wake you.”

“Iz alright.  Jus’ stay? Please?”

With half lidded eyes Jesse watches Hanzo sway with indecision.  They haven’t done anything like this, all of their date nights ended with them going their own rooms separately.  Jesse knows what he’s asking is kinda big, but he’s just this side of too tired to have any reservations about asking.

A couple seconds feel like a couple minutes, but eventually Hanzo steps back towards the bed and whispers out an “alright”.  He takes his own shirt off and after a second of hesitation takes his own prosthetics off before tying the ends of his sweatpants.  It takes a little bit of wiggling and shifting but they get the blankets out from under Jesse and on top of both of them. 

Hanzo lies down with a respectful couple of inches between them but Jesse just slides closer to wrap his arms around his waist and to bury his face in his chest.  Hands come up to thread through Jesse’s hair and with one last, long sigh of contentment, he drifts back off to sleep.

And he’s never slept easier.

 

* * *

Something wakes Jesse up in the early morning.  Through the cracks in the blinds he can see the sun getting ready to rise above the horizon.  Something shifts under him and he looks to find a sleeping Hanzo splayed out, drooling slightly on a pillow, and not looking the slightest bit dignified.

A wave of affection crashes over Jesse and drowns him in feelings he knows he should not be feeling yet, but at the same time they feel so right.  It’s too early to be thinking about that stuff so instead Jesse cuddles up next to Hanzo again and makes himself comfortable. 

He’s asleep before he can think the words  _ “I love you”. _

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr [here](http://cryptidhanzoshimada.tumblr.com)


End file.
